# Sources & licences

Sound Server searches 41 sites. Use the `id` with `providers=` to restrict a search. "deep link" sources are not searched automatically: the response carries a `searchUrl` that runs the same search on the site.

| Source | id | Best for | Categories | Search | Pricing | Licence | Direct download |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Freesound](https://freesound.org) | `freesound` | The big Creative Commons sound library (700k+): drums, FX, foley, field recordings, synth hits and loops, with per-sound licence, BPM and key analysis. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Other | API | free | per sample | yes |
| [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org) | `wikimediacommons` | Free audio from Wikipedia's media archive: instrument demos, drum hits, field recordings and public-domain music; each file has its own CC0, public-domain or CC BY(-SA) licence. | Drums, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Synth | API | free | per sample | yes |
| [ccMixter](https://ccmixter.org) | `ccmixter` | Creative Commons a cappellas (about 6,000) and remix stems from the ccMixter community; licence per upload (CC BY, BY-NC, CC0, Sampling+). | Vocals, Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar | API | free | per sample | yes |
| [Internet Archive](https://archive.org) | `internetarchive` | Uploaded sample packs, drum-machine recordings and sound-effect collections; only items whose uploader states CC0, public domain or CC BY(-SA) are listed, and commercial sample CDs are filtered out. | Drums, Bass, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Synth, Keys | API | free | per sample | yes |
| [BBC Sound Effects](https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk) | `bbc` | 33,000 BBC archive and Natural History Unit recordings (nature, ambience, transport, machines, foley) as WAV and MP3; RemArc licence: personal, educational and research use only. | Ambience, Foley, FX | API | free | BBC RemArc licence (Non-commercial only) | yes |
| [Strudel sample banks](https://strudel.cc/learn/samples/) | `strudel` | Sample banks that Strudel and TidalCycles load from GitHub: ~70 classic drum machines, Dirt-Samples, the CC0 VCSL orchestral set and the Salamander piano, one file per listing. | Drums, Bass, Keys, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Guitar, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Other | catalogue | free | per sample | yes |
| [MusicRadar SampleRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/free-music-samples-royalty-free-loops-hits-and-multis-to-download-sampleradar) | `sampleradar` | Around 270 free, royalty-free genre sample packs (loops, hits and multis) from MusicRadar and Computer Music, each a direct zip download. | Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Vocals, FX, Ambience, Strings, Brass, Other | catalogue | free | MusicRadar SampleRadar licence (Commercial use OK) | yes |
| [Curated free libraries](https://github.com/arielshad/sound-server/blob/main/src/providers/data/curated-packs.json) | `curated` | A hand-checked list of well-known free sample libraries and instruments (Philharmonia, Iowa MIS, VSCO 2 CE, VCSL, FreePats, DrumGizmo, Adobe SFX, Goldbaby, Sonniss GDC...), with verified direct downloads where they exist. | Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Drums, Guitar, Mallets, Keys, Foley, FX, Vocals, Ambience, Synth | catalogue | free | per sample | yes |
| [Zenodo datasets](https://zenodo.org) | `zenodo` | Hand-checked research datasets on Zenodo that work as sample sources: orchestral and instrument notes (TinySOL, Good-sounds), singing, choir and guitar recordings, percussion one-shots and large CC BY drum-loop sets (WaivOps). | Strings, Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Woodwind | catalogue | free | per sample | yes |
| [Kenney](https://kenney.nl/assets/category:Audio) | `kenney` | Kenney's CC0 game audio packs: UI clicks, impacts, sci-fi, RPG and casino foley, voice-overs and music jingles, as direct zips. | FX, Foley, Vocals, Other | site search | free | CC0 1.0 (Commercial use OK) | yes |
| [Free Wave Samples](https://freewavesamples.com) | `freewavesamples` | Free 16-bit WAV one-shots sampled from vintage synths and drum machines: drums, cymbals, basses, pianos and instrument notes by pitch. | Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | site search | free | Free Wave Samples licence (Commercial use OK) | yes |
| [OpenGameArt](https://opengameart.org) | `opengameart` | Community game audio: free sound effects, chiptune and game music, each entry with its own licence (mostly CC0, CC-BY and CC-BY-SA). | FX, Foley, Ambience, Drums, Synth, Vocals, Other | site search | free | per sample | yes |
| [SoundBible](https://soundbible.com) | `soundbible` | Classic free sound effects (animals, doors, weapons, weather, household) in WAV and MP3, each with its own licence from public domain to personal use only. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Drums, Other | site search | free | per sample | yes |
| [Orange Free Sounds](https://orangefreesounds.com) | `orangefreesounds` | Free sound effects, drum and synth loops and background music; loops mostly CC BY 4.0, many effects non-commercial (licence per post). | Drums, Synth, FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals, Keys, Other | site search | free | per sample | yes |
| [BigSoundBank](https://bigsoundbank.com) | `bigsoundbank` | About 3,600 CC0 sound effects, ambiences and foley recorded by Joseph Sardin, each with a UCS category; search and page links only (the audio folder is closed to robots). | Foley, Ambience, FX, Vocals, Drums, Mallets, Keys, Other | site search | free | CC0 1.0 (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Openverse](https://openverse.org) | `openverse` | Keyless Creative Commons search over Freesound and Wikimedia Commons audio: licence and credit line per sound, Freesound previews without a Freesound key. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Other | API | free | per sample | yes |
| [Free pack news](https://99sounds.org/sounds/) | `freepacks` | Newly announced free sample and preset packs from 99Sounds, Bedroom Producers Blog and Reverb Machine, linking to the article or product page (downloads need an email or a $0 checkout there). | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Other | site search | free | per sample | no |
| [Ghosthack](https://www.ghosthack.de) | `ghosthack` | German label's store of royalty-free sample packs: big vocal and acapella packs, cinematic FX, EDM, techno and trap kits, song kits, MIDI and Serum/Vital presets; demo mp3 per pack. | Vocals, FX, Drums, Bass, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Foley, Ambience | site search | paid | Ghosthack licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Black Octopus Sound](https://blackoctopus-sound.com) | `blackoctopus` | Label store of royalty-free sample packs and synth presets (vocals, drum hits, bass music, techno, cinematic), its own and partner labels'; a few free giveaways. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Synth, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Ambience | site search | freemium | Black Octopus Sound licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Prime Loops](https://primeloops.com) | `primeloops` | UK store of label sample packs: hip hop, trap and drill drum kits, melody and MIDI kits, world vocals and cinematic loops, plus many free taster packs. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Synth, FX | deep link | freemium | Prime Loops licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Cymatics](https://cymatics.fm) | `cymatics` | Big catalogue of drum kits, loop and one-shot packs, vocals, Serum presets and MIDI for trap, hip hop and EDM; a lot of free packs that go through a $0 checkout. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, Synth, Keys, Guitar, FX | deep link | freemium | Cymatics licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Function Loops](https://www.functionloops.com) | `functionloops` | Label store of royalty-free sample packs: vocal packs and acapellas, psytrance, techno, house, pop and hip hop kits, MIDI and presets (search on the site). | Vocals, Drums, Bass, Synth, FX, Guitar, Keys | deep link | paid | Function Loops licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Mixkit](https://mixkit.co) | `mixkit` | Envato's free sound effects: risers, whooshes, impacts, glitches, foley and ambiences, free for commercial use (link only: its terms forbid automated access). | FX, Foley, Ambience, Drums, Vocals | deep link | free | Mixkit Sound Effects Free License (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Splice](https://splice.com/sounds) | `splice` | The largest subscription sample library: millions of individual one-shots and loops from label packs, each licensed with credits, filterable by BPM, key and type. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | paid | Splice licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Loopmasters](https://www.loopmasters.com) | `loopmasters` | Long-running store of label sample packs across every dance and urban genre, with audio demos for each pack. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | paid | Loopmasters licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Loopcloud](https://www.loopcloud.com) | `loopcloud` | Loopmasters' subscription service: search the Loopmasters catalogue sound by sound and use it in the Loopcloud app or plugin. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | paid | Loopcloud licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Producer Loops](https://www.producerloops.com) | `producerloops` | Store of sample packs, construction kits, MIDI and presets from many labels, each with an audio demo. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | paid | Producer Loops licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [ADSR Sounds](https://www.adsrsounds.com) | `adsr` | Store of sample packs, synth presets and plugins for electronic producers, plus tutorials. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | paid | ADSR Sounds licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Plugin Boutique](https://www.pluginboutique.com) | `pluginboutique` | Plugin store that also sells sample packs, presets and Kontakt instruments from many labels, with a free section. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | freemium | per sample | no |
| [LANDR Samples](https://samples.landr.com) | `landr` | LANDR's sample library: individual loops and one-shots from label packs on a credit plan, with a set of free sounds. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | freemium | LANDR Samples licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Tracklib](https://www.tracklib.com) | `tracklib` | Original recordings (soul, jazz, funk, library music) with stems that you may sample legally, by paying a clearance fee for each release. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Strings, Brass, Woodwind | deep link | paid | Tracklib sample clearance (Needs paid clearance per release) | no |
| [Looperman](https://www.looperman.com) | `looperman` | Free community library of user-uploaded loops and a cappellas, searchable by keyword, tempo and key; downloads need a free account. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, FX | deep link | free | Looperman licence (Unclear: check the terms) | no |
| [SampleFocus](https://samplefocus.com) | `samplefocus` | Community site of free user-uploaded one-shots and loops, with a monthly download allowance on free accounts. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Ambience | deep link | freemium | SampleFocus licence (Unclear: check the terms) | no |
| [Zapsplat](https://www.zapsplat.com) | `zapsplat` | Large free sound-effects library (with some music loops); free accounts must credit Zapsplat, paid accounts need not. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | deep link | freemium | Zapsplat Standard licence (Commercial use OK with credit) | no |
| [Pixabay Sound Effects](https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/) | `pixabay` | Free sound effects uploaded by the Pixabay community, under the Pixabay Content Licence. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | deep link | free | Pixabay Content Licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Sonniss](https://sonniss.com) | `sonniss` | Sound-effects library store, best known for its free yearly GDC bundles of tens of gigabytes of professional effects. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | deep link | freemium | Sonniss licence (Commercial use OK) | no |
| [Uppbeat SFX](https://uppbeat.io/sfx) | `uppbeat` | Sound effects for video creators, free with a monthly download limit or unlimited on a paid plan. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | deep link | freemium | Uppbeat licence (Unclear: check the terms) | no |
| [Bandcamp](https://bandcamp.com) | `bandcamp` | Producers and labels sell (or give away, pay-what-you-want) sample packs and drum kits as Bandcamp releases. | Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Ambience | deep link | freemium | per sample | no |
| [Soundsnap](https://www.soundsnap.com) | `soundsnap` | Subscription library of professional sound effects (foley, ambiences, impacts, whooshes) plus some loops. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | deep link | paid | Soundsnap subscription licence (Unclear: check the terms) | no |
| [Epidemic Sound](https://www.epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/) | `epidemicsound` | Subscription sound-effects library for video creators, searchable by keyword and category. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | deep link | paid | Epidemic Sound subscription licence (Unclear: check the terms) | no |
| [Artlist SFX](https://artlist.io/sfx) | `artlist` | Subscription sound-effects catalogue bundled with Artlist's music and footage plans. | FX, Foley, Ambience, Vocals | deep link | paid | Artlist licence (Unclear: check the terms) | no |

Sources marked "per sample" set licences per item; check each result's `license.verdict`. Royalty-free licences allow use in your music but not redistribution of the samples. Licences explained: /docs/licences.md

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Source: https://sound.shep.bot/docs/sources